Basically I've been looking into old boards and wrestling websites (Wrestlecrap, 411, etc.) and I've gotten this from them about the Internet Wrestling Community in the Attitude Era but I can't say any of this is complete truth:
There was a HUGE debate over Rock and Austin, Paul Wight was to make a MAJOR impact, the tag team scene was WAYYY better than what it is now. Plenty of teams to discuss. A lot of people felt Al Snow got hosed, and the whole Austin vs Vince story was liked. There were a lot more romance storylines then too. A LOT of people felt WWF dropped the ball with the Kurt/Steph/HHH love triangle.
HHH was the internet darling and the basic equivalent of what CM Punk is today in the IWC's eyes. No one had any faith in him in 1999 after they stripped him of his DX personality, his knee-based assault was often mocked. Then he had the Cactus feud and everything clicked, he had good match after good match, was involved in great TV, and was even praised for putting people over, and being unselfish by letting TAKA and Rikishi have competitive title matches. Austin and Rock got shared hate at differant points. Austin for "overcoming the odds" and Rock for being like Cena apparently.Same types of complaints too - the 5 moves of doom, lame and predictable promos, getting shoved down the fans' throats, the whole thing. It's why I find it funny that so many people are taking Rock's side in his feud with Cena. If you think Cena gets hate for his STF then the amount of hate the Rock recieved was amazing especially when a "submission specialist" would tap to it. Kane was always the same, people didn't mind him and there were only a group of people who felt he could be used more. ECW was also praised as the only brand that could do no wrong at all.
Chris Benoit was WCW's golden boy and people assured cynics that WCW would be safe when he won the title though both his time in WCW and WCW's time was dwindling. WCW had their share of marks and often had vicious debates defending things such as the finger poke of doom stating that it "Shook things up". Even the glove thing was praised as it was explained as giving fans the possibility of a geat feud. Edge, Christian and the Hardy's were looked over as guys that would "Be gone by 2000" that was until their ladder match at No Mercy(?).
let's compare Cena/Orton vs. Rock/HHH just based on PPV meetings
Rock vs. HHH
Survivor Series '96 (Mero/Maivia/Roberts/Stalker vs. Goldust/Crush/Lawler/Helmsley)
IYH: Final Four (IC Title: Helmsley vs. Maivia)
Fully Loaded '98 (IC Title 2/3 Falls: HHH vs. Rock)
Summerslam '98 (IC Title Ladder Match: HHH vs. Rock)
Over the Edge '99 (HHH vs. Rock)
Fully Loaded '99 (Strap Match: HHH vs. Rock)
Unforgiven '99 (WWF Title Six Pack Challenge: HHH vs. Rock vs. Mankind vs. Kane vs. Show vs. Bulldog)
Survivor Series '99 (WWF Title Triple Threat: HHH vs. Rock vs. Show)
Wrestlemania 2000 (WWF Title Fatal Four Way: HHH vs. Rock vs. Foley vs. Show)
Backlash 2000 (WWF Title: HHH vs. Rock)
Judgment Day 2000 (WWF Title Ironman Match: HHH vs. Rock)
King of the Ring 2000 (WWF Title Six Man Tag: Rock/Taker/Kane vs. HHH/Shane/Vince)
Summerslam 2000 (WWF Title Triple Threat: HHH vs. Rock vs. Angle)
Armageddon 2000 (WWF Title Six Way Hell in a Cell: HHH vs. Rock vs. Austin vs. Angle vs. Rikishi vs. Taker)
That's 14 Pay Per View encounters over the course of about 4 years.
Cena vs. Orton
Backlash 2007 (WWE Title Fatal Four Way: Cena vs. Orton vs. HBK vs. Edge)
Summerslam 2007 (WWE Title: Cena vs. Orton)
Unforgiven 2007 (WWE Title: Cena vs. Orton)
No Way Out 2008 (WWE Title: Cena vs. Orton)
Wrestlemania XXIV (WWE Title Triple Threat: Cena vs. Orton vs. HHH)
Backlash 2008 (WWE Title Fatal Four Way: Cena vs. Orton vs. HHH vs. JBL)
Night of Champions 2009 (WWE Title Triple Threat: Cena vs. Orton vs. HHH)
Summerslam 2009 (WWE Title: Cena vs. Orton)
Breaking Point (WWE Title Submission Match: Cena vs. Orton)
Hell in a Cell 2009 (WWE Title Hell in a Cell Match: Cena vs Orton)
Bragging Rights 2009 (WWE Title Ironman Match: Cena vs. Orton)
Elimination Chamber 2010 (WWE Title Elimination Chamber Match: Cena vs. Orton vs. Sheamus vs. HHH vs. Dibiase vs. Kingston)
Fatal Four Way 2010 (WWE Title Fatal Four Way: Cena vs. Orton vs. Sheamus vs. Edge)
Night of Champions 2010 (WWE Title Six Pack Challenge: Cena vs. Orton vs. Sheamus vs. Barrett vs. Edge vs. Jericho)
Elimination Chamber 2011 (Elimination Chamber Match: Cena vs. Orton vs. Punk vs. Morrison vs. Sheamus vs. R-Truth)
15 encounters over just under 4 years time.
So its pretty much the same. The only difference is HHH and Rock evolved from midcard to main event in their 14 matches, where Cena-Orton It was a World Title Match.
Thoughts?
There was a HUGE debate over Rock and Austin, Paul Wight was to make a MAJOR impact, the tag team scene was WAYYY better than what it is now. Plenty of teams to discuss. A lot of people felt Al Snow got hosed, and the whole Austin vs Vince story was liked. There were a lot more romance storylines then too. A LOT of people felt WWF dropped the ball with the Kurt/Steph/HHH love triangle.
HHH was the internet darling and the basic equivalent of what CM Punk is today in the IWC's eyes. No one had any faith in him in 1999 after they stripped him of his DX personality, his knee-based assault was often mocked. Then he had the Cactus feud and everything clicked, he had good match after good match, was involved in great TV, and was even praised for putting people over, and being unselfish by letting TAKA and Rikishi have competitive title matches. Austin and Rock got shared hate at differant points. Austin for "overcoming the odds" and Rock for being like Cena apparently.Same types of complaints too - the 5 moves of doom, lame and predictable promos, getting shoved down the fans' throats, the whole thing. It's why I find it funny that so many people are taking Rock's side in his feud with Cena. If you think Cena gets hate for his STF then the amount of hate the Rock recieved was amazing especially when a "submission specialist" would tap to it. Kane was always the same, people didn't mind him and there were only a group of people who felt he could be used more. ECW was also praised as the only brand that could do no wrong at all.
Chris Benoit was WCW's golden boy and people assured cynics that WCW would be safe when he won the title though both his time in WCW and WCW's time was dwindling. WCW had their share of marks and often had vicious debates defending things such as the finger poke of doom stating that it "Shook things up". Even the glove thing was praised as it was explained as giving fans the possibility of a geat feud. Edge, Christian and the Hardy's were looked over as guys that would "Be gone by 2000" that was until their ladder match at No Mercy(?).
let's compare Cena/Orton vs. Rock/HHH just based on PPV meetings
Rock vs. HHH
Survivor Series '96 (Mero/Maivia/Roberts/Stalker vs. Goldust/Crush/Lawler/Helmsley)
IYH: Final Four (IC Title: Helmsley vs. Maivia)
Fully Loaded '98 (IC Title 2/3 Falls: HHH vs. Rock)
Summerslam '98 (IC Title Ladder Match: HHH vs. Rock)
Over the Edge '99 (HHH vs. Rock)
Fully Loaded '99 (Strap Match: HHH vs. Rock)
Unforgiven '99 (WWF Title Six Pack Challenge: HHH vs. Rock vs. Mankind vs. Kane vs. Show vs. Bulldog)
Survivor Series '99 (WWF Title Triple Threat: HHH vs. Rock vs. Show)
Wrestlemania 2000 (WWF Title Fatal Four Way: HHH vs. Rock vs. Foley vs. Show)
Backlash 2000 (WWF Title: HHH vs. Rock)
Judgment Day 2000 (WWF Title Ironman Match: HHH vs. Rock)
King of the Ring 2000 (WWF Title Six Man Tag: Rock/Taker/Kane vs. HHH/Shane/Vince)
Summerslam 2000 (WWF Title Triple Threat: HHH vs. Rock vs. Angle)
Armageddon 2000 (WWF Title Six Way Hell in a Cell: HHH vs. Rock vs. Austin vs. Angle vs. Rikishi vs. Taker)
That's 14 Pay Per View encounters over the course of about 4 years.
Cena vs. Orton
Backlash 2007 (WWE Title Fatal Four Way: Cena vs. Orton vs. HBK vs. Edge)
Summerslam 2007 (WWE Title: Cena vs. Orton)
Unforgiven 2007 (WWE Title: Cena vs. Orton)
No Way Out 2008 (WWE Title: Cena vs. Orton)
Wrestlemania XXIV (WWE Title Triple Threat: Cena vs. Orton vs. HHH)
Backlash 2008 (WWE Title Fatal Four Way: Cena vs. Orton vs. HHH vs. JBL)
Night of Champions 2009 (WWE Title Triple Threat: Cena vs. Orton vs. HHH)
Summerslam 2009 (WWE Title: Cena vs. Orton)
Breaking Point (WWE Title Submission Match: Cena vs. Orton)
Hell in a Cell 2009 (WWE Title Hell in a Cell Match: Cena vs Orton)
Bragging Rights 2009 (WWE Title Ironman Match: Cena vs. Orton)
Elimination Chamber 2010 (WWE Title Elimination Chamber Match: Cena vs. Orton vs. Sheamus vs. HHH vs. Dibiase vs. Kingston)
Fatal Four Way 2010 (WWE Title Fatal Four Way: Cena vs. Orton vs. Sheamus vs. Edge)
Night of Champions 2010 (WWE Title Six Pack Challenge: Cena vs. Orton vs. Sheamus vs. Barrett vs. Edge vs. Jericho)
Elimination Chamber 2011 (Elimination Chamber Match: Cena vs. Orton vs. Punk vs. Morrison vs. Sheamus vs. R-Truth)
15 encounters over just under 4 years time.
So its pretty much the same. The only difference is HHH and Rock evolved from midcard to main event in their 14 matches, where Cena-Orton It was a World Title Match.
Thoughts?
